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2014 Annual Report for the Green Belt Movement

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the green belt movement A NNU AL R E P O R T 2 0 1 4 1 | the green belt movement Annual Report 2014 table of contents 3 A Message from the Board Chair 4 About the Green Belt Movement 6 Tree Planting and Water Harvesting 7 Corporate Partnerships 8 Climate Change 9 Gender, Livelihood and Advocacy 11 Outreach Updates — Kenya Updates from Green Belt Movement International — United Kingdom and U.S.A. 12 Financial Statements for 2014 15 Supporters and Partners 16 GBM Board and Staff 17 The Wangari Muta Maathai House — A Legacy Project “We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all.” — PROFESSOR WANGARI MAATHAI Image Credits Founder, The Green Belt Movement All photos © Green Belt Movement and Manoocher — USAID unless noted below. 2 | the green belt movement Annual Report 2014 www.greenbeltmovement.org | 1 a message from the board chair Dear Friends, I am delighted to present to you the 2014 Annual Report for the Green Belt Movement. It has been an inspiring year and one of continued resurgence. I owe the success stories you will read about in this report to the unwavering commitment and leadership of a delightful team of staff whose values and hard work continue to shine through. I must also salute the leadership of our Executive Director, Mrs. Aisha Karanja, who continues to increase the visibility of the Green Belt Movement. Tree planting for community mobilization and empowerment continues to be our focus. This year, we planted a total of 438,129 trees with communities around Kenya. We are also opening new groups as we introduce to the women we work with, the adoption of clean and renewable fuels and technologies. It is not lost to us that the communities we work with are on the frontlines in the struggle for energy security. In Kenya, over 15,000, mostly women and children, die from complications related to indoor air pollution. These are unacceptably terrible effects on personal health, climate and the overall quality of life of the communities involved. The Green Belt Movement is proud to be joining in the effort to change this. Cooking and heating should not kill! In partnership with the wPOWER Hub at the Wangari Maathai Institute (WMI), the Green Belt Movement has trained four clean energy and entrepreneurship leaders who are leading the way in driving this agenda at the Green Belt Movement. We are very proud of the partnerships we continue to forge as we strive for the highest impact in landscape restoration. In rehabilitating Sondu Miriu River Catchment, we have partnered with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the Kenya Forest Service to reforest 155.6 hectares of Chepalungu forest in the Rift Valley. The success of this project has been a source of great pride to all involved, making it the “best among all the projects the Ministry is implementing in the country.” Finally, during the Climate Change COP20 events in Lima, Peru, we were honored when the Municipality of San Borja (the district in Lima hosting COP20) dedicated a beautiful park in memory of Professor Wangari Maathai. It was a beautiful end to a fruitful year. Thank you for your continued support and interest in our work. You keep us going! We are proud of the achievements of the Green Belt Movement this year and look forward to an even brighter 2015! WANJIRA MATHAI, CHAIR The Green Belt Movement Board 2 | the green belt movement Annual Report 2014 www.greenbeltmovement.org | 3 about the Green Belt Movement Founded by Professor Wangari Maathai, the The Green Belt Movement has four main areas of v Mainstream Advocacy activity— Tree Planting and Water Harvesting; Gender, We continue advocating for greater political accountability Green Belt Movement (GBM) is a grassroots Livelihood and Advocacy; Mainstream Advocacy; and and the expansion of democratic space in Kenya. GBM non-governmental organization working in Climate Change and Corporate Partnerships. Each area has called for, time and time again, an end to land of work builds on and informs the others. grabbing, deforestation and corruption as well as for environmental conservation and community the protection of public spaces in the country. v Tree Planting and Water Harvesting development in Kenya for over 30 years. What Using GBM’s Watershed Based Approach, communities v Gender, Livelihood and Advocacy began as a grassroots tree planting program help to conserve biodiversity, restore ecosystems, and GBM builds on over 35 years of experience working reduce the impact of climate change. GBM relies on with the community at the grassroots level. Through to address the challenges of deforestation, soil its network of over 4000 community groups to deliver the Community Empowerment and Education program erosion and lack of water is now a vehicle for its watershed based approach. Our core values of (CEE), community members are educated about the volunteering in-service to your community help to inspire linkages between human activity and the environment, empowering women and communities. protection of public spaces for present and future which empowers them to unite, take action, and stand Its mission is to strive for better environmental generations. up for their rights. VISION management, community empowerment, and v Climate Change and Corporate Partnerships GBM promotes and enhances gender relations and The vision of GBM is to create a value driven society CLIMATE CHANGE: Current climate change policies involves women in decision-making processes. The livelihood improvement using tree-planting as of people who consciously work for the improvement and actions in Kenya, and world-over, do not provide CEE centers on women and community empowerment an entry point. The results of these efforts are of their livelihoods and a greener, cleaner Kenya. effective support for community engagement in decision to take over leadership in their own situations. making, nor sustainable livelihoods and environmental a reduction in soil erosion in critical watersheds, GBM’s experience shows that when the communities conservation. It is because of this that GBM has a MISSION understand the linkage between their actions, the restoration and protection of thousands of Climate Change Program that aims at strengthening the GBM’s mission is to strive for better environmental environment and their livelihood situations (poverty, understanding and capacity of rural communities to take acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forest, management, community empowerment, and livelihood water scarcity and soil loss and food insecurity) they action against climate change as well as raise awareness improvement using tree-planting as an entry point. are more likely to muster their energies and to take nationally on the role of local communities and forests and hundreds of thousands of women and their action for change. in tackling climate change. families standing up for their rights and those CORE VALUES Through our CEE approach, we take community CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS: The main goal of this members through a process of understanding their of their communities, and living healthier, more GBM promotes the following values: program is to mobilize corporate organizations’ environment, natural resources and identifying their • Love for environment conservation consciousness for the rehabilitation of urban ecosystems productive lives problems and together, exploring sustainable solutions • Self and community empowerment through tree planting as a ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to these problems that affect their livelihoods. • Volunteerism (CSR). • Accountability, transparency and honesty 4 | the green belt movement Annual Report 2014 www.greenbeltmovement.org | 5 KE Y 2014 HIGHLIGHTS KE Y 2014 HIGHLIGHTS tree planting and water harvesting corporate partnerships Our Bamboo Biomass and Entrepreneurship Forest restoration, REDD and PES promotion The main goal of this program is to mobilize Project featured on the Climate Reality in Upper Tana Watershed, Kenya corporate organizations’ consciousness for the Project Green Belt Movement partnered with Global The Green Belt Movement (GBM) and the wPOWER Environmental Facility / Small Grant Programme rehabilitation of urban ecosystems through tree Hub at the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and (GEF/ SGP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to restore planting as a ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi Upper Sagana and Gura Watersheds in Nyeri County. presented two stories during the Climate Reality GBM is building change agents who are championing (CSR). The highlight was the establishment of a Project’s fourth-annual 24 Hours of Reality broadcast, water and soil conservation on farm and riparian reserves tree nursery at Starehe Girls High School with a “24 Hours of Reality: 24 Reasons for Hope.” in Upper Tana Watershed, Nyeri County. GBM is using its watershed based approach to involve local communities capacity to produce 20,000 seedlings annually. Ms. Wanjira Mathai, GBM’s Chairperson and Project in planning and implementing conservation initiatives on A tree planting activity with Moi Girls High School. Director of the wPOWER hub, joined the discussion their farms and on the riparian reserves. on how to accelerate the shift to a sustainable future Nairobi Urban Greening Project in partnership powered by affordable, renewable sources of energy, These initiatives will address unsustainable agricultural with Trees for Cities with sustainable
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